AandSC

I'm only 55 with about 45 years of working on many different cars, motorcycles and airplanes so you may have a few more years of experience but none of that means that you are right with regard to how easy or hard the LS400 is to work on. You sound like a grumpy old man.

dicer

LOL, look who's talking. So you started when 5? I could only take vacuum cleaners and such apart then, I didn't have the other stuff to play with then.
Ls400 working on? You know I'm right.

AandSC

Since you have a problem with basic math I can see why you think working on an LS400 is so hard. Let me help you out. 55-45=10.

Here is a list of maintenance I've done on my LS400 in the last year/21,000 miles:

Replaced CV axle
Replaced timing belt/WP and associated items
Flushed coolant
New coolant hoses
Oil and filter changes every 5,000 miles as well as transmission drain and replace
Air filter. Literally one bolt to get to the filter.
Replaced spark plugs
Brake pads all the way around and new front rotors
Cabin micro filter

Plus keeping the paint job, interior and weatherstripping looking like new.

This car is much easier to work on than any other car I've owned in the past bunch of years.

dicer

Actually I like math I just don't like arithmetic. LOL Yeah when I haven't had much sleep I do things like that. Sounds like you keep your LS in nice shape. I guess I agree there are somethings that are easy once you know how the interior stuff is installed it isn't too bad, its knowing which way to pry and where the little hooks and clips are.

Legender

I'm glad we agree they are great cars. And I'm glad we own them.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

The LS is the easiest car that I have worked on. Lots of room in the engine bay.

dicer

There is way more room in a Geo metro engine bay, the starter is a half hour or less job.

Losiracer2

To tell you the truth, a 90s Honda accord is a lot easier to take care of than an LS400, but that's to be expected since it has half the cylinders and plugs/wires to mess with.

brakes are pretty easy to fix on the LS400, but there's a stupid pad wear sensor I had to fix where the wire came apart on. Its really unnecessary as a squeal indicator on the pad should take care of that.

Also the suspension is a bit more complex than my old 93 accord. More links and bushings to keep in good shape. A RWD car is a bit ore involved than a FWD car anyday.

But i'm glad to have swapped out my accord for this LS400....even being 20 years old, it has a lot of presence and luxury to it. People always give me thumbs up when i occasionally take it to car shows.

wnyjazz

For me it offers a different kind of fun...it's so darn capable for an older car, you feel good just being in it. When I get to do some blasting on back country roads, that just adds to the 'wow' imho.

dicer

A special note, if its a gen 1 and I'm not sure about the Gen 2's, make real sure the pull a part lower control arm ball joints are in tip top shape, before any high speed anything. Also for normal driving. The total sprung weight on that wheel is on that joint trying to pull it apart and really bad on a harsh bump or hole in the road.

Losiracer2

one way to quickly diagnose this is to jack up the wheel and lift up. You'll immediately know if its bad if you have ANY slop. I was able to purchase new OE Lexus ball joints at the dealer for about $145 out the door, after I told them I was on Club Lexus. The parts guy gave me a 20% discount.

Also, if you hear any clunking, check the front sway bar end links, as mine were worn so bad, 255k miles, that the sway bar could be slid left and right in the bushings when attached on the car. It was bad haha, but new links with a lifetime warranty at Orielly's were only $16.99 a pair. I feel these links aren't as critical as the lower ball joints so I didn't go OE here.

dicer

And any more OE could be the same part that you would get at Rock auto or Oreillys's , Just like the Takata made in Mexico deal just because the part is from the dealer it doesn't always mean its from the lexus manufacturing factory.

Stereorob

+1 on the Ls400 being fun to drive. ive had a bit of everything and these cars ARE fun to drive when the suspension and other parts are wore out. call me crazy but mine is but has a rock solid drive train. blasts off like a rocket but has a lot of body roll. I love the weight of it when weaving in traffic and throwing it around. plus youll LOVE the highway acceleration. the Ls400 OWNS the road above 45 mph. if you HIT THE GAS AT 90 MPH THE CAR STILL PULLS LIKE HELL.

Wanderson

OK, as one who's previously owned a '92 Miata with an aftermarket supercharger and an '05 Mini Cooper I can say that yea, my '99LS isn't THAT sporty.

But I also borrow my dad's '15 Tacoma, and while that's a great truck, it rides n handles like a truck. By comparison, my LS400 feels like a Miata. The suspension may be more Cadillac than BMW but the V8 hustles in a straight line.

Not sure if an LS will handle all the hauling duties your truck does, but I will say that the ENORMOUS flat trunk in mine has hauled sod, grass seed, bags of cement, lumber, tools, etc.

One of the reasons I haven't gotten rid of it is the fact that most modern sedans have tiny little trunk lids and are a PITA to load up with heavier items.

With the remote trunk lid release disabled it also makes for a nice secure place to keep valuables.

dicer

The trunk in the LS isn't all that huge, now a 57 Cadillac that's a huge trunk and the car out weighs the LS by over 1000 lbs I think. X2 it is like a safe in the LS.
I don't think low end torque is all that in the LS, top end seems better. And for best ride the air suspension is very nice but prone to major problems.